Summer in London
by maru-chan
Summary: The Dursleys head to London . . . reluctantly with Harry in tow. Who will save the Boy Who Lived from his nasty relatives? plase read and review.
1. prolouge

Summmer in London - by Maru-chan  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Disclaimer - roses are red, violets are blue; i no own, so you no sue ^.^  
  
Introduction - Set in the summer after GoF, this (hopefully) short fic records Harry's vacation in London . . . with Sirius. Just some humerous stuff: crash courses in parenthood, hiding from the Ministry, erratic new magical abilities, ect. Oh, and not to mention a nice fluffy dose of bonding, reminicing, and site seeing.  
  
This isn't going to be a slash fic - okay, maybe a few implications, but the PG-13 will be for swearing and abusive behavior on the Dursley's part only - no sensuality at all. How ever, if even minor, miniscule implications are enough to upset your homophobic sensabilities, please exit now and don't flame.  
  
For everyone who is still reading, thank you for being open minded, and enjoy the show. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
_No. 4, Privet Drive_  
  
Vernon Dursley wasn't having a good morning. "Mrs. Figg is ill. Something about pneumonia . . . bunch of rot, if you ask me." He sat down heavily onto his new recliner.  
  
Petunia Dursley, busy peering out the front windows, was immediately suspicious. "Are you sure, Vernon? Maybe it's only a flu." She gave her husband a piercing, hopeful glance.  
  
Vernon snorted, then continued indignantly. "No, her bloody doctor gave me an earfull about 'delicate condition' and 'fragile state'." He snatched up the morning paper, opened it at random, and used the pretext of reading it to avoid his wife's irrate stare.  
  
"Vernon, there is no way we can take that - that - that brat with us to London. These could be the most important weeks of our lives. Vernon -"  
  
"I know, I know Petunia, but what can I bloody do!? There's no one to take him, and God knows what state the house'd be in if we left him!"  
  
Simultaniously, thier eyes shot up towards the cieling, above which was the cause of thier suffering: Harry Potter.  
  
But Harry Potter was having problems of his own, namely the fact that Voldemort was alive again, and he would have to do without the scant protection the Dursleys proffered for two weeks. When the most reviled Dark wizard is after you, what ever protection you had was better than none.  
  
The Boy Who Lived sighed, laying back on his old creaky bed. He'd just gottten a letter from Ron, and it wasn't good news.  
  
Dear Harry, I asked Mum and Dad about your coming to stay, but they said they'd already written Dumbledore, and he won't allow it. Harry, I might not get your next owl. Mum's really worried about You-Know- Who, and since only me and Ginny are home, she's thinking about sending us to the States, to stay with our aunts. Don't worry if I don't write, we'll have to see each other in Diagon Alley before school. Have you written to Snuffles? Maybe he can think of something. - Ron  
  
Harry had written to his godfather, and to Lupin, even to Dumbledore himself. He'd gotten no reply from the first two, and Dumbledore had sent only a scant message saying it was safer for him to stay with family.  
  
Suddenly the door to Harry's room flew open. He sat bolt upright, and stared at his red faced uncle.  
  
Vernon Dursley look like he was having some sort of internal struggle. "Pack your ruddy trunk - you're coming to London." He choked out the words, then fled, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Harry sat utterly still, proccessing his uncle's words. Then he sagged back onto the bed, a new problem rearing it's ugly head. Two weeks in London with the Dursleys might be worse than two weeks hiding from Voldemort.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Next chapter: Will Harry survive the Dursley's? Will Voldemort find him? Will Snuffles come to the rescue? Find out next time on SUMMMER IN LONDON. 


	2. 1

Summer in London - by Maru-chan  
  
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Disclaimer - roses are red, violets are blue; i no own, so you no sue.  
  
Intro - Hello all! Sorry for the terrible delay, but I had to start school and the administration bungled everything, so I had to deal with them. Adults can be so slow sometimes, it's really rather pathetic. N/E way, Chapter 1 of 'Summer in London' picks up the day the Dursleys and Harry are leaving for London. The shows finally under way, so stick around and enjoy.  
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"Look, I like this about as much as you do, but there's no way you can come to London!"  
  
In his shabby bedroom on the second floor of No. 4, Privet Drive, Harry Potter was waging a futile argument with his owl, Hedwig. Sitting in majestic indignity within her cage, the great snowy owl gave shrill hoots of outrage, but otherwise did not stir from her perch.  
  
"You'll be perfectly fine at Hagrid's!"  
  
For the past half-hour, Harry had tried every thing to coax his faithful pet from her cage, but the regal bird had refused to come out since he'd told her she would be staying at Hagrid's hut for a week. The young wizard was at his wits end; the Dursleys, with him in tow, were leaving for London in a few hours time.  
  
Harry sat back on his bed in defeat, when his eyes suddenly lit upon the scrap of parchment on which Hagrid had scribbled a "yes" to Harry's plea to take Hedwig for a week. Whatever other ideas floated in her owl's brain, Hedwig would never turn down a message, and Harry knew exactly who he needed to write to - his godfather, Sirius Black.  
  
As he dug out ink, quill, and parchment from the beneath the loose floorboard under his bed, Harry reflected that he should have sent word of his little 'family' vacation to his godfather the moment Uncle Vernon had barged into his room to inform him that he, Harry, would be reluctantly dragged along.  
  
Dear Sirius -  
  
In about four hours, the Dursleys are going to London - and they're taking me with them. I'll be there for a week; don't bother writing back, because they've forbidden me from contacting any of 'our kind'. I should have written sooner, but it slipped my mind. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I hope you've tracked down 'the old gang' and say 'hello' to Moony for me.  
  
- Harry  
  
He quickly folded his short letter, and then held up the missive before Hedwig's cage. They locked eyes, gold to green, and the snowy owl reluctantly climbed out onto Harry's arm, extending a leg for him to tie the letter to. Securing the letter, Harry carried his owl to the open window, clucking her softly under the chin.  
  
"You'll have to go to Hagrid's straight from Sirius; I won't be here if you return."  
  
Hedwig fluffed up her feathers, warbling her worry. Harry stroked her, uneased by the tension in her light body; he was apprehensive enough about his trip, and the fact that his usually calm pet was displaying such obvious distress only added to his misgivings.  
  
The snowy owl lowered her beak to nibble his finger tips affectionately, then leapt from Harry's wrist, winging away out of the window and into the clear August sky. Harry watched her go, the glacial white of her wings catching the sun dazzling, a sudden lump constricting his throat. He realized he'd never really been so totally cut off from the strange world he'd come to love, or from his beloved messenger.  
  
  
Four hours later, the Dursleys had shoved his school trunk into the boot of their car and him into the back seat with Dudley. As they pulled away from Privet Drive, Harry reflected he was starting what would probably be the longest week of his life, and, with the inauspicious start of being squeezed in the back seat with his cousin, that it could only get worse from here.  
  
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In a cozily worn down living room, Sirius Black cursed under his breath as he read his godson's latest letter. Beside him, Remus Lupin looked at his long time friend in concern.  
  
"What is it - did something happen?"  
  
Sirius made no response, just jumped up and started prowling the small flat they shared with a nervous, ragged energy. It put Remus in mind of the first time his friend had ever assumed dog-shape; Sirius had torn the Shack apart almost more badly than Remus had.  
  
"Sirius, for God's sake - is Harry okay?!"  
  
Again, Sirius made no verbal response, only kicked over their small coffee table, scattering the assortment of quills and parchment on it across the floor. He stood there in the middle of the small room, looking entirely like a large, frightened animal in a cage five sizes too small.  
  
"They're_taking_him_to_London!!!"  
  
Having uttered this in a great choked roar, Sirius collapsed onto the worn couch next to his friend once more. The ten years he'd gained back since his escape from Azkaban sudden crashed back into him, his eyes regaining the dull haunted look. Unfortunately, Sirius's words seemed not to have impacted Remus, for he sat blinking stupidly at his friend.  
  
"Err . . . Sirius, who's taking who . . . and why is it a bad thing?"  
  
Sirius could have strangled Remus then, but like the deadened look in his eyes, his body similarly felt like lead. Instead he settled for shoving Remus roughly off the couch.  
  
"Harry's_bloody_muggle_relatives_are_taking_him_to_sodding_London."  
  
Sirius spoke slowly, as to a retarded child, staring intently into Remus's eyes, a slightly crazed light shining through his dead look. Then Sirius slumped back onto the couch with a groan, running his hands through his now-shoulder-length hair. Remus still sat on the floor, still wearing a slightly puzzled look on his face.  
  
"Ummm . . . and why is it a bad thing?"  
  
Sirius could almost feel his veins pop out as he clenched his teeth in frustration. He'd known Remus for years, yes, and he knew his friend could be a little . . . off . . . at times, but this was really too much. Anger alleviating the leaden feel of his body, Sirius hauled Remus off the floor, rising and backing his nervous friend against the opposite wall.  
  
""It's a bad thing, Remus, because outside the wards Dumbledore put on the muggle's sodding house, Harry has no protection from Voldemorte, or the hordes of Death Eaters searching for him!!!"  
  
The anger had done more than banish his fatigue, it had cleared his mind, and Sirius knew what he had to do. Un-ceremonially dumping a shocked Remus onto the floor, he whirled around; quickly locating his wand in the mess on the floor, then strode purposefully from the room.  
  
"Sirius - where are you going?!"  
  
Remus staggered after his friend, clutching at his now bruised collarbone. He found Sirius in the bedroom, changing into muggle clothing - dark pants, shirt, and trench coat. Sirius grabbed a handful of muggle money from the dresser, hastily stuffing it into his pockets.  
  
"I've got to go to him, got to get him some place safe."  
  
Sirius marched from the room, Remus following in a slight panic. He, at least, remembered the fact the Sirius Black, supposed murderer and escaped convict, was still wanted by the muggle police, unlike the man himself, who was determinately striding into trouble.  
  
"But, he's with his family -"  
  
"They treat him like dirt!!! Besides, what could muggles do, besides get killed?"  
  
Remus was now clutching Sirius back at the door of the flat, despite the fact that the other man was taller and more experienced at fighting. Sirius looked down at his friend, one of the few he actually had left, and felt his resolve waver. He might never see him, or anyone else, ever again; it would take only one observant muggle and he'd be back in Azkaban.  
  
"Remus . . . I have to go . . . I can't fail him again."  
  
Remus looked into his friend's eyes, no longer dead, no longer crazed, only calmly resigned and more than a little sad. He sighed, and then adjusted his hold on Sirius, embracing him as a brother.  
  
"You better be careful - Harry will never forgive you if you get yourself caught."  
  
"Don't worry, I know how to hide. Oh, yeah, Harry says 'hi'."  
  
And with that, Sirius quit the flat, heading out into the sprawling muggle metropolis outside in search of the Boy Who Lived. Back at the flat, Remus silently prayed they'd both be okay, and then went to retrieve his wand so he could fix his bruised neck and a place for Harry to sleep.  
  
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Hope that made up for the wait - I didn't think I had a chapter that long in me. Must be a good day - sayonara 


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